Cutting any protected or endangered tree will carry fines of up to Tk100,000, along with possible court-ordered compensatory afforestation, under a new ordinance promulgated by the president.
The Forest and Tree Conservation Ordinance, 2026 was issued through a gazette on Wednesday by the Law Ministry’s Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.
Under the ordinance, trees listed as prohibited through gazette notification or declared endangered by the Forest Department may not be cut under any circumstances.
Trees on privately owned land that fall under the “permission-based” category may be felled with prior approval from a designated Tree Conservation Officer. Applicants must submit details on species, number, height, girth, and reasons for felling, with authorities required to issue a written decision within 30 days.
Prior approval will not be required for cutting dead or diseased trees on private land, storm-felled trees, trees obstructing roads, trees damaged by natural disasters, or trees posing risks to life or property.
Trees not included in either the prohibited or permission-based lists—such as commonly used rural or commercial species—will also be exempt from approval requirements.
The ordinance also prohibited damaging trees by inserting nails or metallic objects for non-commercial purposes.
Penalties and enforcement
The ordinance sets graded penalties for violations, including fines of up to Tk100,000 for cutting prohibited trees, up to Tk50,000 for violating permission-based felling rules, and up to Tk20,000 for damaging trees.
If an offense is committed by a government or private organization, the concerned director or responsible official may be held personally liable and fined up to Tk300,000.
Authorized forest officers have been empowered to file cases, conduct searches and seizures, and represent the Forest Department in court.
The ordinance mandates that all gazette-declared forest land, regardless of tree cover, be recorded in the name of the Forest Department. Reserved and acquired forest lands will remain recorded under deputy commissioners but will be managed by the Forest Department.
Under specific conditions, forest land measuring less than one acre located within industrial or institutional premises may be exchanged with approval from the prime minister. In such cases, double the amount of adjacent, encumbrance-free land must be handed over to the Forest Department and declared reserved forest.
Tree felling in mouza reserve forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts will be governed by existing regulations under the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation, 1900. In indigenous-inhabited areas, acquisition of land for forest declaration will require settlement of traditional and customary forest rights.